Capitation complaints pour in at panel

CHENNAI: A state government committee formed to monitor fees collected by engineering colleges has received 30 complaints against self-financing institutions since August.

Around 60 complaints were registered during the last academic year. Legal notices were sent to 25 colleges based on the veracity of the complaints. In previous years, the state had written to the All India Council for Technical Education to withdraw approval to colleges collecting capitation fee, and had asked Anna University to revoke affiliation of these institutions.

Professor S Selladurai of the committee said most of the complaints related to the collection of excess fees from students. Some students had complained that colleges refused to refund fees when they tried to leave for study in another institution. "We are visiting colleges against which there are complaints, to check the records of the institutions, and interact with students," Selladurai said.

The committee checks the veracity of anonymous complaints, and asks students if they are willing to register formal complaints. After the committee gets the student and institution versions, it submits a report to the directorate of technical education, which takes action. Colleges that refute the complaints have to prove that they are in the right, the committee members said. The members added that colleges usually did not deny fee refunds.

Academics say there are many who have not approached the committee. Educational consultant D Nedunchezhiyan of Technocrat India College Finder said a Sri Lankan refugee had to drop out in the third year because she could not afford the fees. Though several government quota engineering seats were vacant, some self-financing engineering colleges managed to convince students to take management seats. "In addition to the tuition fee, charges for books, use of laboratory facilities and other expenses add up to 1 lakh a year. Many students can't afford it after a couple of years and are forced to drop out," Nedunchezhiyan said.

The committee to check the collection of capitation fee and excess fee was formed in 2010 to ensure that students who feel cheated by technical institutions get redressal. The state government has said it will revoke recognition of institutions that violate rules.

After six years, the state approved an increase in fee structure for self-financing engineering colleges this academic year. The fee committee, under Justice N V Balasubramanian, said self-financing engineering colleges could collect 40,000 for a non-accredited BE, BTech or BArch course, 45,000 for an accredited course, and 70,000 for a management seat.

The fee structure drawn up in 2006 allowed colleges to collect 32,500 for a government quota seat and 62,500 for a management seat. Colleges had earlier claimed that unreasonably low fee structures encouraged corruption.